Dispenser



Nov. 15, 1927. 1 v 1,649,435

W. G. WOODS ET AL DISPENSER Filed June 5, 1924 I I aim: "up

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' cover that constitutes another Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. WOODS AND NELSON T. SHAW, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DISPENSER.

Application filed June .3, 1924. Serial No. 717,654.

This invention relates to dispensers of the type employed in dispensing elongate articles. Important uses for the dispenser are the dispensing of cigarettes, cigars, matches, toothpicks, and drinking straws, and the de vice may be used with great facility as an accessory to a motor car to enable the driver to readily obtain a cigarette or cigar while operating the vehicle.

An object of the invention is to insure against more than one article being dispensed at one time. This is a rather difficult matter with elongate objects, such as cigarettes, matches and the like.

Anotherobject is to'make provision for holding cigarette and cigar ashes and butts, thus insuring against occupants of automobiles equipped with the dispensers, throwing such ashes and butts along the roadside, a. procedure that often results in destructive forest fires.

Another object is to provide an automatic closure for the ash tray so that a burning cigarette butt placed in 'the' tray will be extinguished for lack of oxygen.

One of the important features of the inj of means for sepato be ejected, from to such ejection,

vention is the provision rating the article, that is the other articles prior thus avoiding jamming of the articles in the discharge opening.

A further object is to construct the device so that the separating member also acts as a closure or gate for the discharge opening;

Further advantages will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a dispenser constructed in accordance with theprovisions of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line indicated by 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tray that constitutes a part of the closure means for the charging'opening of the case.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tray part of the closure means mentioned above.

There is provided a case of any suitable shape, indicated in general by the character 11 and comprising vertical front and rear walls 12, 13, a bottom formed by a pair of spaced strips is spaced from the rear wall 13 to form an forward and back within the case.

one end hookedsinto a hole 29 wall 16 and its other end hooked at 291 over the rear edge of the Ushape member 24. The intermediate portion of the spring we 28 is bent over the pivot 27.

slot 25 over the bottom strips 14, end walls 15, 16 and a downwardly and forwardly sloping top 17. 111 the top 17 is an opening 18provided with a window 19, and the upper end of the top 17 so opening 20 which may be used for-charging the device with the articles that are to be dispensed. The opening 20 will be closed by closure means indicated in general at 21 and described hereinafter in detail. The bottom C strips 14 are spaced from thefront wall 12 to form a discharge opening 22. The strips 14 are bent downwardly and forwardly beneath the opening 22 to form receiving means 23 for the articles as they discharge through the opening 22. Such articles are indicated at a int-he form of cigarettes,

though it is to be understood that other elongate articles such, for example, as cigars, matches and toothpiclrs may be dispensed by constructing the parts of the invention in the right proportions. i I Movably mounted inside of the case 11 is a U-shape member 24 provided in its bottom with a longitudinally extending slot 25. The ends of the U-shape member 24 are pivoted at 26, 27 to the end walls 15, 16, respectively, so that the member 24 can swing The member 24 is normally held in its forward position, as in Fig. 3, by a spring 28 which has in the end To operate the member 24,'the pivot 27'is provided with an operating arm 30' outside of the case which, when depressed, swings the member 24 rearwardly so as to bring the '14 rearwardly of the discharge opening 22. When the member 24 is in its forward position, the slot 25 regisurs with the discharge opening 22 and thebottoin portion ofthe U-sh ape member is aslant forwardly and upwardly.

To prevent the articles a from jamming to the rear of the member 24, when said memher is swung rearwardly, there isprovided a movably mounted floor member 31 which is pivotally mounted by having end tongues 82 thereof entered in holes 33 inthe end walls 15, 16. The floor member 31 extends aslant forwardly and downwardly and the forward end of said floor rests on the bottom portion of the U-shape member 24. Naturally, as the U-shape member is swung rearwardly, it swings the floor member 31 upwardly.

lVhen the member 24 is in its forward position, the slot 25 is substantially closed by a closure or gate member 34 which, in this instance, is movably mounted, being pivoted to the end walls by having its end tongues 35 entered in holes 36 in the end walls. The gate rests on the member 24 and when the member 24 is in its rear position the rear edge of the gate isbelow the level of the gate pivots so that said rear edge will move rearwardly when the gate swings upwardly. Preferably the gate 34 is concave from front to rear and, when the member 24 is swung rearwardly, the gate 34 swings downwardly by gravity. When the member 24 swings forwardly it swings the gate 34 upwardly to cause the rear end of the gate to enter be tween two adjacent articles a. lVhen the member 24 swings rearwardly, the article a nearest the slot 25 drops into said slot, the article immediately forward of the one that drops into said slot being held out of contact with the one that drops by reason of the latter article resting on the gate 34.

7 Forward movement of the member 24 is limited by reason of said member engaging the ears 35 which thus function as stops. Rearward movement of the member 24 is limited by a stop 37 formed by an upwardly bent ear of one of the strips 14.

The operation of the construction thus far described is as follows:

Assuming that the device is loaded with cigarettes, when a cigarette is desired the operator will depress the arm 30, thus causing the member 24 to swing rearwardly. During this swinging movement, the rear end of the gate 34 swings downwardly, thus preventing the article that is in second place, in reference to the slot 25, from crowding between said slot and the article that is nearest to said slot which, thereupon, falls into the slot 25 and rests upon the strips 14. After depressing the arm 30,.the operator removes his finger and the spring 28 immediately returns the member 24 to its forward position. Adjacent to the rear edge of the slot 25 on the member 24 is a downwardly projecting lip 38 that functions to shove the cigarette, that is in the slot, forwardly so that it passes through the opening 22 and falls into the receiving means 23. lVhen the member. 24 thus swings forwardly the gate 34 is swung upwardly and, accordingly, its rear edge moves rearwardly and pushes and rolls the cigarette in second place away from the slot- 2", thus avoiding jamming of the second cigarette in the slot 25 and consequent injury to said cigarette.

The closure means 21, mentioned above, may be of any suitable construct-ion and, in this instance, it constitutes an ash tray 39 and cover 40. The ash tray is provided on its longitudinal edge with flanges 41 adapted to engage in grooves 42 in the inside face of the cover 40. The tray and cover are assembled by relatively sliding them endwise. 3 i

seat upon the end walls 15, 16, respectively. 7

which thus close the spaces existing between the tray and cover at the ends thereof. The cover is provided with an opening 43 and with an apron 44 which extends aslantdownwardly and rearwardly beneath the opening 43. Pivoted at its ends at 45 to the cover 40 is a gravity-closed shutter 46 that is normadly in vertical position and closes against the inner end of the apron 44.

W hen the smoker desires to knock the ashes from his cigarette, he inserts the lighted end of the cigarette in the opening 43 and presses said end against the apron 44 or shutter 46 If he presses against the shutter, it will open and allow the ashes to fall into the tray. If he desires to throw his lighted cigarette away, he will push the cigarette against the shutter 46, forcing it open, and drop it into the ash tray, and the shutter will then close so as to prevent smoke from issuing from the tray and annoying the occupants of the vehicle.

We claim: I

1. A dispenser comprising a case, a member movably mounted in the case and provided with a slot, a gate movably mounted in the case in position to close over the slot when the slotted member is in one position 1 and to open the slot when said slotted member is in another position, said gate being moved by movement of the slotted member, and operating means for the slotted member.

2. A dispenser comprising a case, a member movably mounted in the case and pro vided with a slot, a gate pivotally mounted in the case in position to close over the slot when the slotted member is in one position and to open the slot when said slotted member is in another position, the gate resting on the slotted member, and opera-ting neans for the slotted member.

3. A dispenser comprising a case, a mem ber movably mounted in the case and provided with a slot, a gate mounted in the case in position to close over the slot-when the slotted member is in one position and to open the slot when said slotted member is in another position, a floor member pivotally mounted in the case and resting upon the slotted member, and operating'means for the slotted member.

4." A dispenser comprising a case, a slotted member mounted to swing forward and back in the case, a gate pivotally mounted in the case in position to close over the slot-when the slotted member is in one position and to open the slot when said slotted member is in another position, the gate resting on the slotted member, and means to swing the slotted member.

5. A dispenser comprising a case, a slotted member mounted to swing forward and back in the case, a gate pivotally mounted in the case in position to close over the slot when the slotted member is in one position and to open the slot when said slotted member is in another position, a floor member pivotally mounted in the case, the gate and floor member resting on the slotted member, and means to swing the slotted member.

6. A dispenser comprising a case, a mem ber swingingly mounted in the case and pro vided with a slot, an upwardly concave gate pivoted to the ease and resting upon said member in position to close over the slot when said member is in one position and to open the slot when said member is in another position, and operating means for the slotted member.

Signed at San Francisco, Calif., by NEL- SON T; SHAW, May 23, 1924, at Los Angeles, California, by WILLIAM G. VVoons this 27th day of May, 1924.

WILLIAM G. WOODS. NELSON T. SHAW. 

